Maltese Comedian Reveals The Thing He Finds Most Offensive About Matt Bonanno
Ahead of his upcoming show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Steve Hili took the time to sit down with Lovin Malta and break down why comedy should not be censored and no topic should be off-limi following satirist Matt Bonanno’s recent charges over his controversial ‘River of Love’ comments.
”I think it is ridiculous that this case is going to end up in court although the plus side is that if he goes to court, he might finally have to shave that wannabe goatee-stubbly thing off. That is the most offensive thing about Matt to be honest,” Hili told Lovin Malta whilst expressing his questionable admiration towards his friend.
Hili first started in radio and theatre but always knew that he wanted to explore other forms of entertainment. He had always enjoyed performing, and more significantly – stand-up comedy.
The Comedy Knights performer exclaims that he had once gone to London on holiday, and ended up performing on a pro bill ”and I was hooked”.
He is now an award-winning comedy-writer and broadcaster. To top it all off, he has made appearances on Discovery, Sky, BBC, and SBS (Australia).
When asked about whether comedy should be censored, Hili replied with: ”people need to understand that it is okay to offend and be offended. Actually sometimes you have to. Having said that, of course you should not use comedy for hateful purposes – and that is an important distinction to make… angle, purpose and context are all essential. I enjoy punching up with my comedy, not punching down, and I think a lot of comedians would agree”.
Steve Hili will be performing at the Vaults Festival (London) on 25th January, at the Comedy Store (Sydney) between 21st-25th March, and in Melbourne on 30th March – making him the first Maltese comedian to do a full run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
He was supposed to do the Melbourne festival in 2020 but COVID-19 hit as soon as he landed in Australia.
Hili is excited to see where his career will take him in life, and encourages others to pursue their own dreams.
”Advice for anyone is, go for it but be prepared to work really really hard. If you want to get better, you need to push yourself. Take risks. Get better. Work hard. It is really hard. But try to have a plan. See good comedians at work. Study how they do stuff. Get plenty of rest! And then if you are getting really good, give up because I don’t want you taking my gigs,” Hili ended with a hearty laugh.
Have you ever seen Steve Hili in any of his shows? Sound off in the comments below
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